(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to shoes, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a shoe having an improved system for attaching the upper of the shoe to its sole.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
A conventional shoe includes an upper that is made of leather, simulated leather or other sheet material. The upper is attached to the sole of the shoe by various conventional methods. Many of the conventional methods have the disadvantage that a substantial amount of leather is used in securing the upper to the sole. For example, in one type of construction, the upper extends generally vertically downwardly to the sole of the shoe, and then is directed horizontally outwardly along the upper surface of the sole of the shoe. The horizontal portion of the upper is stitched to the sole, and then the surplus leather overhanging the sole is trimmed away, resulting in substantial quantities of scrap leather. In another method for attaching the upper to the sole, the leather upper extends generally vertically downwardly to the sole and then is directed horizontally inwardly. The horizontally inwardly extending portion of the upper is then attached to the sole by stitching or an adhesive. With either of the aforementioned conventional methods, and with numerous other known methods for attaching the upper to the sole, substantial amounts of scrap leather is produced. Moreover, many of the prior art systems require skilled workers to align and shape the leather upper so that it is in a position to be attached by stitching or other means to the sole.
It is an object of the invention to provide a shoe having an improved attachment of the upper to the sole. More particularly, it is desired that the improved attachment result in savings of approximately ten to twenty percent or more of leather or other material used for the upper. The amount of savings will depend upon the shoe to which a shoe of the present invention is compared. Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide a shoe construction that reduces the amount of trimming and finishing to produce an esthetically pleasing shoe. Further, it is an object of the invention to provide a shoe that can be manufactured by persons having less skill and training than the skill of persons required to assemble prior art shoes.